Acts 19 · Verse 15

Acts 19:15

And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
Acts 19:15, King James Version

Acts 19:15 in other translations

BSBEventually, one of the evil spirits answered them, “Jesus I know, and I know about Paul, but who are you?”
WEBThe evil spirit answered, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know, but who are you?”
ASVAnd the evil spirit answered and said unto them, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?
YLTand the evil spirit, answering, said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with; and ye--who are ye?'
DARBYBut the wicked spirit answering said to them, Jesus I know, and Paul I am acquainted with; but ye, who are ye?
BBEAnd the evil spirit, answering, said to them, I have knowledge of Jesus, and of Paul, but who are you?
WebsterAnd the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

What does Acts 19:15 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on Acts 19:14-17

14-17. seven sons of ... Sceva ... chief of the priests--head, possibly, of one of the twenty-four courts.

Read the full comment on Acts 19:14-17 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 15. Jesus I know. His power to cast out devils I know. Comp. Mt 8:29.

Paul I know. Paul's power to cast out devils, Acts 19:12.

But who are ye? What power have you over evil spirits? By what right do you attempt to expel them? The meaning is, "You belong neither to Jesus nor Paul; you are not of their party; and you have no right or authority to attempt to work miracles in the name of either."

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 15 Jesus I know, and Paul I know - In the answer of the demoniac, the verb in varied: τον Ιησουν γινωσκω, και τον Παυλον επιϚαμαι· ὑμεις δε τινες (τινος) εϚε. I acknowledge Jesus, and am acquainted with Paul; but of whom are ye? Ye belong to neither; ye have no authority. And he soon gave them full proof of this. This distinction is observed in my old MS. Bible: I have knowe Jesu, and I wote Poule; forsothe who ben yee.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on Acts 19:13-20

It was common, especially among the Jews, for persons to profess or to try to cast out evil spirits. If we resist the devil by faith in Christ, he will flee from us; but if we think to resist him by the using of Christ's name, or his works, as a spell or charm, Satan will prevail against us. Where there is true sorrow for sin, there will be free confession of sin to God in every prayer and to man whom we have…

Read the full comment on Acts 19:13-20 →

Acts 19:15 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἀποκριθὲνapokrithenAnsweringG611
δὲdehoweverG1161
τὸtotheG3588
πνεῦμαpneumaspiritG4151
τὸto<the>G3588
πονηρὸνponēronevilG4190
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
τὸνton<the>G3588
ἸησοῦνIēsounJesusG2424
γινώσκωginōskōI knowG1097
καὶkaiandG2532
τὸνton<the>G3588
ΠαῦλονPaulonPaulG3972
ἐπίσταμαι·epistamaiI am acquainted with;G1987
ὑμεῖςhumeisyou yourselvesG4771
δὲdehoweverG1161
τίνεςtineswhoG5101
ἐστέ;esteare you?G1510

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for Acts 19:15

  • Acts 16:17-18

    The same followed Paul and us, and cried, saying, These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.

  • Mark 1:34

    And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him.

  • Luke 4:33-35

    And in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and cried out with a loud voice, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art; the Holy One of God. And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold thy peace, and come out of him. And when the devil had thrown him in the midst, he came out of him, and hurt him not.

  • Mark 5:9-13

    And he asked him, What is thy name? And he answered, saying, My name is Legion: for we are many. And he besought him much that he would not send them away out of the country. Now there was there nigh unto the mountains a great herd of swine feeding. And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. …

  • Mark 1:24

    Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou art, the Holy One of God.

  • Matthew 8:29-31

    And, behold, they cried out, saying, What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time? And there was a good way off from them an herd of many swine feeding. So the devils besought him, saying, If thou cast us out, suffer us to go away into the herd of swine.

  • Luke 8:28-32

    When he saw Jesus, he cried out, and fell down before him, and with a loud voice said, What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not. (For he had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For oftentimes it had caught him: and he was kept bound with chains and in fetters; and he brake the bands, and was driven of the devil into the wilderness.) And Jesus asked him, saying, What is thy name? And he said, Legion: because many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep. …

  • Genesis 3:1-5

    Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: …

  • 1 Kings 22:21-23

    And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said, I will persuade him. And the Lord said unto him, Wherewith? And he said, I will go forth, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And he said, Thou shalt persuade him, and prevail also: go forth, and do so. Now therefore, behold, the Lord hath put a lying spirit in the mouth of all these thy prophets, and the Lord hath spoken evil concerning thee.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
16:17,18; Ge 3:1-5; 1Ki 22:21-23; Mt 8:29-31; Mr 1:24,34; 5:9-13
Lu 4:33-35; 8:28-32

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • Acts 19:14

    And there were seven sons of one Sceva, a Jew, and chief of the priests, which did so.

  • Acts 19:15

    And the evil spirit answered and said, Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?

  • Acts 19:16

    And the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, and overcame them, and prevailed against them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.

Read all of Acts 19

Acts 19:15 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909
Y respondiendo el espíritu malo, dijo: A Jesús conozco, y sé quién es Pablo: mas vosotros ¿quiénes sois?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885
Mais l’esprit malin, répondant, leur dit: Je connais Jésus et je sais qui est Paul; mais vous, qui êtes-vous?
German
Elberfelder 1871
Der böse Geist aber antwortete und sprach zu ihnen: Jesum kenne ich, und von Paulus weiß ich; aber ihr, wer seid ihr?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate
Respondens autem spiritus nequam dixit eis: Jesum novi, et Paulum scio: vos autem qui estis?